On May 24, Bohdan Ostafiychuk, a Ukrainian soldier captured by Russian forces from the North group of fighters, urged the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to lay down their weapons and surrender to Russian troops in order to stay alive.
Ostafiychuk served as a second-category inspector with the 31st Chernivtsi border guard detachment of the Ukrainian State Border Service. He stated he was conscripted in 2003 and signed a contract with the Ukrainian army in 2004. In 2017, Ostafiychuk was deployed to the Donbass region as part of what is known as the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) near Kramatorsk for one year before returning to his unit.
The soldier described his views on the conflict: “The attitude towards the conflict is bad. People are being mobilized, but they are still running away, even from positions. I have no confidence in President Zelensky because it is not done the way he does. So, guys, drop your weapons, surrender, and stay alive.”
He also noted that Ukrainian soldiers are poorly prepared for combat operations, with organizational failures and tensions between military personnel and leadership.
Separately, on March 24, another Ukrainian soldier, Alexander Semirenko, captured by the same Russian group, called on his fellow troops to lay down their arms. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that despite heavy losses on the front line, Kiev continues to conduct forced mobilizations.
